Coke oven door operating mechanism



July 12, 193s. R, BERG 2,123,521l

COKE OVEN DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed May l, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR RAGNAQ. Bench.

l'BY

TTORNEY .Iuly-l2,-1938.4 R. BERG COKE OVEN DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed May 1, 1936 4 sheets-sheet 2' INVENTOR RAQNAP. Dane.

TwRNEY July 12,1938;

D002 Exmof R. BERG COKE OVEN DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed.v May l, 1935 4 Sheets-@Sheet 5 f1 LL- INVENTOR R-AGNAR.

Barr.

- I n?? l ATTORNEY 1 July l2, 1938. R. BERG COKE OVEN DooR OPERATING MEcHANrsM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May l, 1936 INVENTOR -Bru-um...

RAaNAR. Basie. vmmm l rroRNEY Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES COKE OVEN DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Bagnar Berg, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Koppers Company, a corporation of Delaware,

Application May 1, 1936, Serial No. 77,311

7 Claims.

My present invention relates in general to the oven doors that rest in the mouths of horizontal coking retort ovens during the coal carbonization period, and more specically to doors of the self-sealing type as are exemplified in U. S. Patents 1,908,467 and 1,908,501 granted Ernst Wolff on May `9, 1933. Oven doors of the therein described design employ as a sealing means, to prevent the escape of coal distillation gases into the atmosphere, a flexible metal frame which is attached to and extends beyond the periphery of the refractory lining of the door and supports a knife-edge or fin that rests in close contact y against a co-operatng plane near the inner edge of the ilanged door frame, when the oven door is seated in proper operating position. Successful operating results with a metal-to-metal door sealing means of this type depend upon the maintenance of a gas tight contact between the knife-edge on the door and the plane surface near the inner edge of the door frame, and it is obvioustov those experienced'in the art that a high degree of accuracy in the adjustment of the contact between these metal parts is necessary to provide a. proper, seal.

The contact between an oven door and its cooperating door frame is periodically broken when the door is removed from the oven mouth to permit the pushing of the carbonized coal charge. Subsequent to the discharging operation, the door is returned to its former operating position. The doors are heavy and massive, and mechanical devices are required for their manipulation. Such devices are insuiliciently accurate in their operation to replace the doors with such precision of adjustment that a gas tight contact between the sealing means and the door frame would be directly established. It is accordingly, the general practice to place the oven door loosely in the mouth of the oven and then effect its final seating in the desired position by means 'of a manually operated ratchet-wrench applied to the adjustable pin, threaded at one `end, that supports the door-latches. In this manner the door is eased into final position, and contact between the knife-edge and the door-frame is carefully and precisely adjusted to reestablish the sealing of the oven mouth.

It is apparent that the value of a sealing device of this type depends upon the ease `and accuracy with which an oven door, so equipped, can be returned to the precise position it had occupied before its removal from the oven chamber, and also that relatively small discrepancies in its adjustment may be responsible for the difference between a tight or leaky seal. It the torque applied to the latch-sealing screws is too great, the knife-edge may be unduly distorted and bowed; if the pressure established between the latches and the latch-hooks is insuicient, the sealing edge may be too remote from its seat at the edge of the door frame to be effective for sealing purposes. Manual adjustment of the oven door-latches, in consequence of the individual strength of the different operators, also occasions differences in the pressure applied to the same.

It becomes, therefore, obvious that the elimination of the personal element inthe adjusting of the self-sealing doors of a coking chamber will be attended by more satisfactory operating results, and that the provision of a mechanical device which will always apply the same torque to the latch screws and which can be operated from the pusher or door machine, will be highly desirable in the art. Such device will reduce the labor requirement, be time saving and promote uniformity of operation.

The object of my instant invention is the provision of mechanical means, for loosening and tightening the door-latches of horizontal coke4 ovens, which will accurately adjust the pressure between the door-latches and latch-hooks so that the oven door may be always returned to the -same operating position and the sealing frame of a self-sealing door thereby repeatedly be restored with comparative precision to a position from which it is intermittently removed.

A further object of my invention is the development of a door-latch operating device that may be attached to the pusher machine on the one side of a battery andthe door-machine on the opposite side, and will be equally eiiiciently operative within such departures from precision ofalignment as are normally found to exist, between the oven door and the door-lifting machine, in consequence of minor deections from the average position the pusher and door-lifting machine assumes relative to the door, when brought into operating position. 'I'hese variations in the position of the machine in relation to the door result from, the play between the "door-hook and the hook-plate, the compressibil.

ity of the door-hook bumper-springs, small inaccuracies in the expansion of the battery, irregularities in the tracks supporting the pusher and door machines, play in the bumper'plate situated at'the lower part of the oven door for retaining the door handling machine in proper position while in operation, carbon accumulations under the door, and the like.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and showing for the purpose of exemplication a preferred apparatus in which the invention may be embodied and practised but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

FigureA 1 `is :a fragmentary elevational section taken longitudinally of a coking chamber equipped with an oven door of the self-sealing type showing a section of a combination pusher machine and door machine, which is provided with a latch tightening device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of an upper part of an oven door showing the doorhook, the hook-plate and the latch-screw in section as well as the latch-tightening device of my invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section, through the door-latch and tightening screw showing the relative operating positions of the door-latch and the tightening device, taken along the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front elevational fragment of an oven door showing one latch and the means, in position on the latch-pin, for engaging the latchtightening device of my invention;

Figure 5 is a schematic wiring diagram adapted to actuate the latch-operating device of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating diagrammatically a bank of coke ovens.

The same characters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

.In its present embodiment, the invention is employed in connection with a coke oven battery of the by-product type embodying in its construction a plurality of elongated coking chambers arranged side-by-side with crosswise extending heating walls equipped with the usual heating ues, the heating ilues in any wall being communicably connected with those in the alternate wall by means of the cross-overs 2|, in' the wellknown manner embodied in U. S. Patent 1,374,546 granted to Joseph Becker, April 12, 1921. The coal to be carbonized is charged into the ovens 22 through the charging holes 23. The ends of the ovens are closed by doors during thelcarbonization process, each door comprising a refractory'lined member 24 which reposes loosely in the oven mouth, where it is supported at the bottom by gravity on the adjacent portion of the door frame 25 that entirely surrounds the periphery of said openings. The top and sides of the door member 24 are outof contact with and unsupported by the door frame.

'I'he interstitial space between the door and its receiving frame is sealed from the exterior bymeans of a flexible metal frame 28, that projects beyond the margin of the refractory lining and is affixed to the door by the bolts 30. The flexible frame supports at its outer edge the sharp-edge 29 that is substantially normally disposed to the anged rim 3| of the door frame. 4

When sealing an oven by means of a door'of this type, the door is placed loosely within the oven-mouth by the door machine, and the latches 26 which are rotatably mounted on the pin 32 are turned in such manner as to loosely engagethe latch hooks 2`| that are bolted to the door frame 25. rfhe pin 32 is then turned on the threads 34, provided at its inner end, and by which means it is supported in the bracket 35 that is attached.

to the door member 24. As the pin moves hori- Zontally outward, carrying with it the latch rod, the latter comes in contact with the inclined surfaces provided on the hooks 21, and the pressure thereby created causes the door member 24 to move forward into the oven to establish a tight contact between the sharp-edge 29 and the anged surface 3|, thereby sealing the oven mouth, at its entire periphery,` against the escape of the products distilled from the coal. The frame 28 is designed with sufficient exibility that it ca n be made to conform to irregularities and .distortions of the surface 3| through pressure applied by the adjusting screws 33, so that the sealing edge can be brought into contact with said surface at all points. After such adjustments are once established for the individual doors, any readjustment is normally required only infrequently.

At the end of a carbonization period, the oven doors must be extracted from the mouthsr of the coking chambers to permit of the pushing of the coke therefrom. In performing this operation,

' the pressure on the latch-rods is relieved'by turning the pin 32 so that it travels inwardly on its threads 34 to remove the latch-rods from contact with the latch-hooks, thus leaving them free to be disengaged therefrom by a rotary movement around the pin 32. A door-extracting machine is then brought into position in front of the doors at each end of the coking chamber and adjusted into preferred alignment in respect of the doors by means of the bumper pin 36 which is inserted into the recess of the bumper plate 31 mounted on the oven door. The door-hook 38, of the doormachine 39, which can be raised or lowered by rotation of the shaft 40 and which in non-operation position inclines downwardly, is actuated to slowly rise and engage the hook-plate 4I on the door. Further raising of the door-hook breaks the seal and lifts the door from contact with the terfere with the'pushing operation, the distilled coal charge may be pushed from the oven into a coke-oar provided for the purpose. 'I'he doors are then returned to the coking chamber by executing the above-delineated operations in reverse order.

From the above-recited operating details, it will be apparent to those experienced in the art that adoor, provided with the above-described metal-to-metal sealing means, requires that it be returned and adjusted into operating position with greater accuracy and refinement than in those instances where more yielding and conformable materials are used for sealing purposes, and that relatively precise adjustment of the con- -tact between the metal parts comprising the seal contact was interrupted, will be a highly desirable contribution to the art, and tend to promote the elimination of time-consuming adjustments.

According to the present invention, I provide a simple and eifective mechanical device for operating the screws that provide the door-latches with horizontal movement and cause them to be either brought into or removed from-contact with the latch-hooks. This operation has been previously carried out manually by ineans of a wrench applied at the square-shaped outer end of the threaded pin 32.

Manual adjustment of the pressure exerted by the door-latches to retain the doors in position in the oven is not-entirely. satisfactory, and elimination of the personal element in carrying out this operation will expedite its perfomance and provide for more accurate' adjustment of the pressure between the metal sealing edge 29 and the co-acting frame flange 3l.

In the following description-of my improvement, I provide electric motors 42, 43, as a source of thev power required to actuate the door-latch tightening device of my invention, although it should be understood that I do not intend to restrict its actuation to such source of energy exclusively, since it is obvious that other means for example, a steam, hydraulic or air-pressure motor-driven means, are available for inducing operation thereof without departing from the spirit and intent ,of vthe hereinafter described device.

Two electric motors 42,43, are stationarily supported on both the door machine and pusher machine at their respective sides of the battery, and so disposed on said ymachines as to be directly in front of the heads of the latch-screws when they are positioned before the doors. Attached to the shafts of the motors are respectively speed reducers 44, 45, of the herring-bone type, which have cranks '46 mounted on their low speed shafts 52. At the outer end of each pin 32, which rotatably supports the latch-rods 26, is mounted a member y41 formed in the shape of a plus-sign and rigidly attached to the pin 32 by through pin 46. At the inner end of said pin are threads 34 by which it is rotatably supported in the bracket 35.

The curved and vertically disposed bracket supports 49, are attached at theirends to the bracket 35 and at their elevated portions are `disposed to form an aperture through which the pin 32 extends, so as to provideadditional rigidity to the pin near its outer extremity and additional support for the latch-rod that is supported on said pin between the bracket aperture and the pin-collar 50. A bushing 5I facilitates movement of the latch pin in the aperture of the brackets 49.

The crank 46, asitis rotated around the electrically driven, shaft 52,l is adapted to engage an arm of the member 41 causing said member to turn about its axis and rotate the pin 32 that carries the latch rods 26. Depending upon thel direction of lrotation, the threads 34 migratelinwardly or outwardly in relation to the bracket 35 and respectively move the latch-rods farther from or near yto contact with the inclined surfaces of the latch-hooks.

`When the door or pusher-machine is placed in position to remove the oven doors,r the spatial relationships of the working parts involved in that operation are not always precisely the same for each door. As examples of the factors that may occasion variation in the position these machines may assume in relation tol the door the following are cited; the play of the door-hook in the hook-plate, the compressibility of the doorhook and the bumper-springs, scoring of the latch-hooks, and unevenness and mis-alignment I of the tracks on which the pusher-ram and door machines travel. The sidewise variation iny alignment is limited to the clearance allowed for the bumper pin in the recessed bumper plate, and in the vertical direction, inequalities in expansion and accumulations of carbon will account for minor variations in addition to those above-cited.

These deflections from precise alignment are relatively minor and are normallyunimportant when only the removal of the door is considered.

However, for my instant invention these factors take on importance. The latch-tightening device is attached to the door-machine and must be so designed that it is operative within the range of these possible variations in door and door-machine alignment; that is to say, the latch-tightening device must be adapted to function ellectively within those variations from an average position that the door-machine may assume with respect to the vdoor and still be operative. The crank 46 'and the member 41 must therefore be proportioned accordingly. The greatest horizontal and vertical variation in position that must be allowed for is of the order of about two inches, and the proximity of the latchcrank to the latch-pin engagement means will not deviate more than the play of the door-hook in the hook-plate plus the maximum compressibility of the door-hook spring, or a total of about 31/4". Consequently, the arms of the member 41 must be at least two inches long and that part of the crank marked E must measure at least 31/2" long.

For` those instances where the end of the latchcrank does not engage an arm of the member 41 as the door machine is brought into position but abuts the outer surface thereof, I have provided for horizontal movement of the engaging element 53 of the crank 46, by providing the crank with a tube-like hole extending' longitudinally thereof, lsaid hole being of slightly less diameter nearer the end removed from the door latch.. Within said hole and concentrically disposed thereof is.

the spring 54. Thev engaging member 53 of the crank is fashioned with collar 55 which is of such diameter as to be slidably movable within the crank arm. 'The platey 56 is held by setscrews and is likewise perforated with an orice of suiiicient diameter to allow the element 53 to slide therethrough but insufficient to allow the collar 55to pass.` lAt such times, therefore, as an arm of the member 41 and the element 53 coincide during the bringing of the door-machine into operating position, the element 53 will be forced back into the crank-arm tube and the collar 55 will compress the spring 54. Rotation above-described type in the mouth of an oven, the flexible sealing frame must be forced against the door-frame with sufficient pressure to adequately seal that opening without distorting the sealing frame unnecessarily or producing a permanent warping thereof. 'Ihe required pressure is provided by creating stress between the latch-bars' and the latch-hooks through the agency of rotatable pin 32. The magnitude of that stress is governed by the length of travel of the threads at 34 in the bracket 35, and it is obvious that provision must be made to arrest the progress outwardly of the pin 32 at such moment as the sealing-frame is in proper contact with the door-frame; and, similarly, when loosening said latches to check the rotation of said pin before it jams against the surface of the door member 24. In the present embodi-- ment of my invention, I provide for this requirement by taking advantage of pressures created, in the latch operating system, to open contactors in the electrical circuits to the motors that actuate the crank arms 46. The pressure of the flexible sealing edge against the door frame and the contact of the latch-pin with the door member 24, will both be reflected in the greater resistance to turning of the member 41. This resistance is encountered by the crank-arm 46. Therefore, in the electrical circuits, I place jam relays that open when the member 41 offers a predetermined resistance to its further rotation, thereby opening the motor circuits so that further flow of current is impossible and the motors will be stopped.

In the accompanying Figure 5 a simple wiring diagram is illustrated that is suitably adapted for my present purpose. It is realized, however, that the same operating results can be obtained by an almost unlimited number of electrical circuits and devices without departing from the spirit of this improvement. For example, limit switches, that will limit the distance traveled by the latch-bearing pin 32 in any one direction, may be used to stop, at a preferred point, the motors or relays operated by time, current, light sensitive cells or combinations thereof can be employed to effect the same result. Furthermore, the crank 46 can be equally effectively actuated to rotate around the shaft 52 by other sources of power such as steam, or hydraulic or air pressure and I do not intend to limit myself to the herein-disclosed means of actuating the latch-tightening device of the present invention.

Referring now to yFigure 5, the electrical motor 51 is included within two electrical circuits, which are used to effect rotation of said motor in opposite directions, so that the same motor can be used to rotate a latch pin either clock or counter-clockwise. 'I'he control push buttons A and C are positioned in any preferred location conveniently accessible to the operator,

' as for example, the cab of the pusher-machine on that side of an oven and a position adjacent the operating platfon of the door-machine on the oven coke-side. When the main line switches to the source of current are closed and the push button A" is in position to complete the circuit the coils associated with the contactors `FI and F2 will act to close said contactors, and current will flow through the motor in the direction indicated by the single-barred arrows and cause the motor to rotate in such direction as to bring the door-latches into contact with the latchhooks and force the over-door forward into the oven mouth. When the pressure exerted by the flexible sealing frame against the door-frame has reached a preferred and predetermined amount vand the resistance to the transfer of current through the electrical circuit becomes greater than that provided for by the adjustable resistor R, the jam relay B in said circuit will be opened by its associated jam relay coil B, to break 'the circuit and stop the motor. When it is desired to loosen the door latches, the reverse push-button Cis depressed into operating position and current will ow through 51 in the reverse direction as indicated by the doublebarred arrows, following the closing of the contactors RI and R2 by their respective contactor coils. The push button C is preferably of the type that can be held manually in position by the operator so that the motor may be started with full torque, which amount may be required to start the latch pin from the closed door position. When the pressure on button C is released, the motor stops, or as an emergency measure, if the latch pin travels so far, in loosening the latches, that it comes into contact with the door member 24, the jam relay B will open. the circuit and stop the motor.

The latch operating device of my present invention provides'protection to the sealing edge of a self-sealing door since it is adapted to limit the sealing pressure employed for that purpose to an amount which said frame is designed to successfully withstand. It facilitates the removal of the doors from the coking chambers and reduces the time required for that operation by providing the operator with means to operate the door latches and door-lifting machines from the same switch-board.

The invention as hereinabove set forth is embodied in particular form and manner but may be variously embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the end'doors of a battery of horizontal coke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate the tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens; a power driven reversible motor, a. driven shaft therefor; speed reducing gearing attached to the motor driven shaft; a low speed shaft driven by the reducing gearing; a crank directly connected with the low speed shaft for rotation thereby, and an arm on said crank xed for rotation therewith for cooperatively engaging the tightening devices of the respective doors, said elements being so stationarily mounted in fixed position on an advanceable portion of the carriage that when the portion of the carriage is positioned in place in front of the respective doors and advanced relative to the carriage into position for cooperative engagement with other parts of the door to open or close'the same the crank arm is thereby automatically positioned for cooperative rotary engagement of the arm with the tightening devices of the latches upon starting of the motor.'

2. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the end doors of a battery of horizontal c oke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate the tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens; a. power driven reversible motor; la, driven shaft therefor; speed reducing gearingattached to the motor driven shaft; a low speed shaft driven by the reducing gearing; a crankv directly connected with the low speed shaft for rotation thereby, and an arm onv said crank fixed for rotation therewith for cooperatively engaging the tightening devices of the respective doors, said elements being soA movement relative to the crank against the tension of spring means normally urging it outwardly from the crank to accommodate incidental abutting but non-rotative engagement of the arm and the tightening devices of the doors with subsequent rotative engagement under the action of the spring means.

3. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the end doors of a battery of horizontal coke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate the tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens; a power driven reversible motor; a driven shaft therefor; speed reducing gearing attached to the motor driven shaft; a low speed shaft driven by the reducing gearing; a crank directly connected with the low speed shaft for rotation thereby, and an arm on said crank fixed for rotation therewith for cooperatively engaging the tightening devices of the respective doors, said elements being so mounted on the carriage that when positioned in place in front of the respective doors they may be advanced relative to the carriage into position for cooperative rotary engagement of the arm with the tightening devices of the latches upon starting of the motor; and power means on the carriage for supplying power to the power driven motor, said power means comprising regulable means adapted to be pre-set to operate to interrupt the flow of power to the motor in the event of predetermined conditions occurring, the entire regulating means being wholly contained on thearriage and regulable therefrom.

4. Apparatus. for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the end. doors of a battery of horizontal coke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate the tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens; a reversible electric motor,a driven shaft therefor; speed reducing gearing attached to the motor driven shaft; a low speed shaft driven by the reducing gearing; a. crank directly connected with the low i speed shaft for rotation thereby; and an arm on said -crank fixed for rotation therewith for cooperatively engaging the tightening devices of the respective doors, I said elements being so mounted on the carriage that when positioned the occasion of resistance predetermined by its setting.

5. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the end doors of a battery of horizontal coke ovens. comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from. oven to oven into position to severally manipulate the tighteping devices for the door latches of the respective ovens; a reversible electric motor; a driven ,shaft therefor; speed reducing gearing attached to the motor driven shaft; a low speed shaft driven by the reducing gearing; a crank directly connected with the loW speed shaft for rotation thereby; and an arm on said crank xed for rotatin therewith for cooperatively engaging the tighteningdevices of the respective doors, said elements being so mounted on the carriage that when. positioned I in place in front of the respective doors they may be advanced relative to the carriage into position for cooperative rotary engagement of the arm with the tightening devices of the latches upon starting of the motor; electrical circuit means on the carriage for operating the `motor forwardly and reversely and limit switch means in the electrical circuit contained on the carriage and having its setting means on the carriage and adapted to be set for predetermined values in advance of rotation of the crank' arm by the motor at each operation thereof and to limit the subsequent rotation of the arm by the motorto the value for which thev limit switch means may have been pre-set.

6. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the ends of a battery of horizontal coke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate rotatable tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens, a power driven reversible motor and a driven shaft therefor, and a crank arm for cooperatively `engaging the rotatable devices of the respective doors, said crank arm being operatively connected with the aforesaid motor driven;v shaft by gearing for rotation thereby, said elements being so mounted on the carriage that when positioned in place in front of the respective'doors the crank arm may be advanced relative to the carriage into position for cooperative rotary engagement Vof the arm with the tightening devices of the latches upon actuation of the gearing, and said crank 'arm being slidable for -reciprocal receding movement relative to the tightening devices against the tension of spring means normally urging the crank arm outwardly intothe path of the tightening devices to accommodate incidental abutting but non-rotative engagement of the arm and the tightening devices of the doors with subsequent rotative engagement of the arm and the tightening devices of the doors under the action of the spring means.

'7. Apparatus for actuating rotatable tightening devices for door latches of the ends 'of a V- battery of horizontal coke ovens comprising: a carriage movable along the side of the battery from oven to oven into position to severally manipulate rotatable tightening devices for the door latches of the respective ovens, and a crank arm for cooperatively engaging the rotatable devices of the respective doors, said crank arm being operatively connected with gearing for rotation thereby, said elements being'so mounted on the carriage that when positioned in place in front of the respective doors the crank arm may be advanced relative to the carriage into position for cooperative rotary engagement of the arm with the tightening devices of the latches upon actuation of the gearing, and said crank arm being slidable for reciprocal receding movement relative to the tightening devices against the tension oispringt means normally urging the crank arm outwardly into the path of the tightening devices to accommodate incidental abutting but non-rotative engagement of the arm and the tightening devices of the doors with subsequent rotative engagement of the arm and the tightening devices of the doors under the 5 action of the spring means.

RAGNAR BERG. 

